Taugrim's "Iron Fist" 25/14/2 PVP Tank Spec [Video]

[taugrimtaugrim]

A bit off topic, but I found years ago that it helped to move with ESDF instead of WASD setting S and F as strafe Left, and strafe Right respectively. E being forward and D being backwards. This forces you to turn direction with the mouse and to strafe with the keyboard.

 

related, Iron Fist is pretty excellent once you get both damage reductions and begins to shine once you get the two points into rocket punch bonus damage and the knife (name elludes me at work.)

 

Over the years, I made the following transitions to improve my melee and kite strafing:

1. moving from WSAD to EDSF

2. finally ditching EDSF entirely and just using WR for strafe

 

Both transitions helped my ability to move in PVP, but the 2nd transition was much more significant than than the 1st in terms of re-learning and benefit.

[Talon_Starfire]

Over the years, I made the following transitions to improve my melee and kite strafing:

1. moving from WSAD to EDSF

2. finally ditching EDSF entirely and just using WR for strafe

 

Both transitions helped my ability to move in PVP, but the 2nd transition was much more significant than than the 1st in terms of re-learning and benefit.

Do you advise skipping to WR or transitioning by going ESDF first?

Thanks, I'm still learning.

[ducksmyth]

Doesn't the auto follow camera in this game make strafe only keybinds really awkward? Edited February 10, 2012 by ducksmyth

[taugrimtaugrim]

Do you advise skipping to WR or transitioning by going ESDF first?

Thanks, I'm still learning.

 

Ditch WSAD or EDSF. Those are 4 keys that are in prime real estate locations for your left hand.

 

Have you seen my Guide on Strafing and Keybinding yet?

http://taugrim.com/2011/04/07/guide-to-strafing-movement-and-keybindings/

[Talon_Starfire]

Is tanking in SWTOR the same as tanking in Neverwinter Nights on a PvP server or is it completely different because I have tanked but still learning this game?

Thanks

[QiBao]

Over the years, I made the following transitions to improve my melee and kite strafing:

1. moving from WSAD to EDSF

2. finally ditching EDSF entirely and just using WR for strafe

 

Both transitions helped my ability to move in PVP, but the 2nd transition was much more significant than than the 1st in terms of re-learning and benefit.

 

Yes this. I still use E/D for forward/back (lol back), but going W/R for strafe was huge. It opens up a lot of hotkeys. Oddly I don't use S at all. Highly recommend W/R strafing with turning only from the mouse.

[Talon_Starfire]

Yes this. I still use E/D for forward/back (lol back), but going W/R for strafe was huge. It opens up a lot of hotkeys. Oddly I don't use S at all. Highly recommend W/R strafing with turning only from the mouse.

Why not rebind S to something useful?

This isn't a PVE spec. There are a lot of talent points spent for abilities that aren't that that relevant in PVE.

 

It's probably fine for group play but any hard-mode or ops content you'll make life easier for your healers by spec'ing into the Shield talents that this spec largely intentionally skips.

 

EDIT (2012/01/29): FWIW, I tanked my first SWTOR instance tonight, Hard-Mode Directive 7, and the spec held up fine even with only 3 pieces of "tanking" gear from PVP: Champion legs and weapon and Centurion shield offhand.

If I go with Iron Fist for both PvE & PvP what do you advise on dealing with Kiting?

Thanks

Edited February 10, 2012 by Talon_Starfire

[Talon_Starfire]

This isn't a PVE spec. There are a lot of talent points spent for abilities that aren't that that relevant in PVE.

 

It's probably fine for group play but any hard-mode or ops content you'll make life easier for your healers by spec'ing into the Shield talents that this spec largely intentionally skips.

 

EDIT (2012/01/29): FWIW, I tanked my first SWTOR instance tonight, Hard-Mode Directive 7, and the spec held up fine even with only 3 pieces of "tanking" gear from PVP: Champion legs and weapon and Centurion shield offhand.

Do you recommend DPS or Tanking gear for PvE?

Thanks for all the advice.

[taugrimtaugrim]

If I go with Iron Fist for both PvE & PvP what do you advise on dealing with Kiting?

Thanks

 

You have a snare in Rocket Punch.

You have a gap closer / root in Jet Storm.

You have a pull with 35-sec cooldown in Grapple.

 

Do you recommend DPS or Tanking gear for PvE?

Thanks for all the advice.

 

For tanking in this spec? PVE tanking gear.

[mugen_dom]

LOL at the PVE tanking gear comment DUH?! I tanked False Emp on HM last night cause I didnt want to pay 99k to respec back to normal tank spec...went better than its ever gone no wiping at all, HK went down for us no problem...and having the interupt come up faster is great...in PVP its pretty good too. Still trying to get used to it and pick up the combat tech stuff as I was rolling all the Champ SC gear

[mugen_dom]

So carbonize is hit or miss now with the Combat tech armor on bah

[Doozzer]

I tried this build (tweaked it a little to preference) tonight queuing with friends, and I have to say it was pretty fantastic.

 

I was wearing a mix of champ/cent supercommando so I didn't have a lot of punch in my hits, but this spec really delivered for me.

 

In our first game we went up against the most active republic pvp guild on our server in alderaan civil war, and proceeded to beat them in a tough game, holding 2 long enough to make the pubs require a 3 cap to win, which they could not deliver. I kept my healer safe and he was able to heal with impunity, which kept us from losing our node with constant 3v1 odds the whole match, and gave him the durability and freedom to heal our rage juggy DPS through an 11 medal game.

 

In our second game, we got huttball against a mediocre team, and after walking the ball into a goal, we stayed on the goal line and fought their whole team to a standstill for half the match while our puggers ran back and forth putting the ball in. We sat on the 5th point to farm medals.

 

Our third game was civil war again, and this time my pocket healer and I fought the republic zerg to a standstill on the middle point by ourselves while the rest of the team split up and capped east and west. We eventually even finally capped mid and finished with a 3 cap. Again, our healer was free casting everything and we carried our jugger to another 11 medal game.

 

 

So yea, I had a pocket healer. Yea, I queued with friends.

 

But that's the point. They rode my back to wins for an hour, 3 for 3 games.

 

This isn't a spec for people that want to kill the opposing team, post big numbers, and get mvp votes.

 

This is a spec for people that DON'T LIKE TO LOSE. Sure, you don't have a lot of burst, but you have everything you could ever want. You are a JUNKYARD DOG. You pick a healer, and you guard him, and then you bite the *** of anyone who comes near them.

 

me guarding my pocket healer allowed him to free heal everyone else on the team. We won all our matches because anyone who came within ten meters of my healer got carbonized, oil slicked, taunted, flamed for -4% damage, and grappled into terrain hazards. Everyone trying to cap got dotted with retracto blade, sages got rocket punched then railed, there was enough powertech pit bull to go around for everyone.

 

You really do feel the extra mitigation that this build grants. In 3 games, the only times I died were when I popped from soaking guard damage on my healer. I was unbeatable in every match and invincible in 2 out of 3, and I don't think I could have had such performance using a parakeet or 31 shieldtech build.

[Talon_Starfire]

@Doozzer, You did not post the spec would you post it please?

Thanks

[mugen_dom]

Ive had similar results with my SC set, as the CT cenurian armor I have makes the carbonize break...so i stick with my Champ SC gear with the chest modded with 56 mods from the eliminator helmet I had, and I also use a Champ CT helmet, eliminator ear implants SC shield and medic blaster...I dont do the most damage but Im more mobile than as a full ST I think and better up close with teh retractable blade and RP. 175k dmg and 50k protection shut down healers in Ilum and on the WZ

[Doozzer]

@Doozzer, You did not post the spec would you post it please?

Thanks

 

just moved some flavor around in the shieldtech tree to get mitigation over dps.

 

dropped rail loaders, steely resolve. put them into vents, ablatives, rebraced armor.

 

its just a matter of taste, really. I personally have a higher opinion of the shield mechanic than Taugrim does, so I spoil it accordingly. Its all semantics though- the cornerstones of the Iron Fist build are still functioning as planned in Doozie flavor.

[Alkaholic]

just moved some flavor around in the shieldtech tree to get mitigation over dps.

 

dropped rail loaders, steely resolve. put them into vents, ablatives, rebraced armor.

 

its just a matter of taste, really. I personally have a higher opinion of the shield mechanic than Taugrim does, so I spoil it accordingly. Its all semantics though- the cornerstones of the Iron Fist build are still functioning as planned in Doozie flavor.

 

An actual link would be even better...

[NYSelly]

I've just hit level 50 and my goal is to do both PvP & PvE tanking. Since I'm a fresh 50 I'm focusing on getting my first set of gear together so I don't have the ability to swap pieces in and out for each situation yet.

 

I'm running the IF spec and plan on going with the 4 piece Combat Tech. Do you swap out any of the mods on CT gear? It looks like it has an excessive amount of accuracy mods which might be better off with crit or surge.

 

Also, does anyone have experience running IF with the combat tech while tanking hardmode flashpoints? How well does it stand up to the damage. Thanks!

[tbsly]

I would rethink the combat tech set if you're a bounty hunter. The 2 piece set bonus is broken and makes your carbonize worthless. I have both the combat tech set and the eliminator set.

 

Until the combat tech set is fixed I cannot justify using it or the ironfist spec. If you're a BH you're pretty much forced into using eliminator or supercommando. If using the eliminator set, carolina parakeet synergizes better with it.

 

I've tried both CP and ironfist. I personally didn't notice a whole lot more survivability with ironfist. The problem I run into on my server is that we have very few healers in general that queue for wz's. With no heals I notice very little difference between 4% dr vs. 3% endurance the CP spec offers.

[Zaganna]

Hi.

First thank you for this build. I figured out something similar for the playstile of my PT that i wish to use, but this build gives a lot of usefull discussion about.

 

I had only one question. I'm sorry if is already posted...but this thread as become long indeed.

What's the purpose of Rectracteble Blade?

 

It deals less damage than Rocket punch, but at the same heat (16), both of them add Dot on the target.

Since RS has a bigger cd than Rocket punch i can say that i'll have always a Rocket punch ready whend RS's cd is over, also whend i shield and attacck , rocket punch will be ready again.

 

Rectracteble Blade doesn't have a cd, which is good. But if i'm at close melee should be enought Flame Burst?

 

Rectracteble Blade should be a "safe dot" ability to use in case RS is ready, but Rocket punch isn't?

It's better Flame Burst or Rectracteble Blade whend it's Dot over?

[taugrimtaugrim]

Also, does anyone have experience running IF with the combat tech while tanking hardmode flashpoints? How well does it stand up to the damage. Thanks!

 

I tanked all 7 Hard Mode Flashpoints with Iron Fist, using whatever +Shield / +Defense gear I could cobble together - in my case, mostly the tanking PVP gear.

 

It works fine.

 

I would rethink the combat tech set if you're a bounty hunter. The 2 piece set bonus is broken and makes your carbonize worthless. I have both the combat tech set and the eliminator set.

 

Until the combat tech set is fixed I cannot justify using it or the ironfist spec. If you're a BH you're pretty much forced into using eliminator or supercommando. If using the eliminator set, carolina parakeet synergizes better with it.

 

Yea for Powertech I'd go 4-pc Supercommando and swap out the mods until the 2-pc set bonus bug is fixed.

 

I had only one question. I'm sorry if is already posted...but this thread as become long indeed.

What's the purpose of Rectracteble Blade?

 

It deals less damage than Rocket punch, but at the same heat (16), both of them add Dot on the target.

Since RS has a bigger cd than Rocket punch i can say that i'll have always a Rocket punch ready whend RS's cd is over, also whend i shield and attacck , rocket punch will be ready again.

 

Rectracteble Blade doesn't have a cd, which is good. But if i'm at close melee should be enought Flame Burst?

 

Rectracteble Blade should be a "safe dot" ability to use in case RS is ready, but Rocket punch isn't?

It's better Flame Burst or Rectracteble Blade whend it's Dot over?

 

RB is simply another tool to work with.

 

It has a long 15-sec DoT, so you can apply it to be a would-be node capper and go beat on someone else while your DoT'd target wastes time trying to cap a node.

 

RB's DoT is also Internal damage, so it's unmitigated by Armor.

 

Also, keep in mind RB keeps ticking even while you are CC'd.

 

All that said, as you noted, RP is the highest-priority attack in melee range.

 

Whether you apply FB or RB depends on whether you've already debuffed the target, what they're trying to do, and where their HP is at.

Edited February 13, 2012 by taugrimtaugrim

[NYSelly]

Thanks for the replies.

 

As far as the broken 2 piece bonus, since I picked up cybertech as my crew skill I can make a PBAOE stun grenade which would replace carbonize until it's fixed so I'm not too worried about that. The thing I like about IF as opposed to CP is that it is more similar to a pure tanking build and going between the two wouldn't require as much of a change in playstyle from PvP to PvE.

[Sasheria]

Good info here I am trying to move away from WASD keybind but it is hard!!!!! luckily I solo a lot while trying to get to 50 so I can slowly change and see.

[Kamikaze]

Why W-R for strafe? For me at least it's much easier to hit the keys above my fingers (rather than the ones below), so S-F is better for me. Q-T, A, G become your main "letter" keys. The bottom row is used for the less frequently used combat skills.

 

Do you use your thumb to hit some the lower keys on the W-R setup?

Edited February 13, 2012 by Kamikaze

[Hartburn]

First of all, thank you Taugrim for your awesome guides. I quite enjoy them and they have helped me a lot throughout several games. Leveling a Vaguard now working up to the IF build.

 

To those that haven't switched over to W/R, do it now. I was a WASD'er for years and finally just 1 day switched to WER (i still like E to run forward if I don't want to use the mouse for it) while leveling and I am so glad I did. Just switch over to it, run around for a few hours doing dailies or whatever, and I promise you you will be happy you did, especially if you PvP a lot.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Hartburn

[Dharagada]

I actually use S + F for my strafing.

 

I guess you use W + R to easier reach the number keys?

 

Got a razer naga for as a gift couple of years ago so I don't have to worry about reaching them, but I still like to use the keys around my movement keys, especially in game like this where there are so many abilities.

Edited February 14, 2012 by Dharagada